Hot-water and steam generator



June 1951 F. w.DE LUCHl HOT WATER AND STEAM GENERATOR Filed Nov. 6, 1947 FWDe 1440712 Patented June 26, 19 51 iJNl'lE STTES 2,558,545 HUT-WATER AND STEAM GENERATOR Frank W. De Luchi, Los Banos, Calif. Application November 6, 1947, Serial No. 784,482 2 Claims- (Cl. 122 216) This invention relates to fluid heaters.

An object of this invention is to provide a heater of the instantaneous type whereby low pressure steam may be obtained in a continuous flow.

Another object of this invention is to provide a heater of this type which will produce either steam or hot water. Where hot water is desired the inlet valve for supplying water to the heater is opened relatively wide, whereas when only steam is desired the inlet or supply valve is cut down so as to reduce the quantity of water supplied to th heater.

A further object of this invention is to provide a heater which will produce steam after the manner of a flash steam generator, the heater embodied in this invention including a plurality of superposed generators with a cone-shaped baflle extending from each generator for concentrating and directing the rising heating gases toward the center of a succeeding generator.

To the foregoing objects, and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a heater constructed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary detailed front elevation of the heater.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral It designates generally a jacket of insulated construction which is formed of an outer cylindrical hell I I, an inner cylindrical shell or wall l2 and heat insulating means 13 between the two shell members II and I2.

The jacket is supported above a plane surface by means of a plurality of supporting feet or legs M which are fixed to the lower end of the jacket 10. The jacket It has a closure or door l5 hingedly secured as at it to the lower portion thereof and the door it is adapted to be latched in closed position by means of a latching bolt l'l.

The jacket It! also includes a cap 58 mounted on the upper end of the jacket which is formed with a marginal flange l9 detachably secured to the upper end of the outer shell H by fastening means 20. The cap l8 also includes an upwardly projecting nipple 2| for connecting a vent pipe thereto. A burner 22 of the Bunsen type is disposed in the lower portion of the jacket it being connected with a pipe 23 which is connected to a source of gas supply. A valve 24 is mounted in the supply pipe 23 at a point closely adjacent the jacket It. The lower end of the jacket H] has mounted therein a cylindrical air duct 25 which enga es loosely about the burner 22 being open at its lower end upper ends and the duct or sleeve 25 is secured to a plate 26 having a marginal flange 21 secured by fastening means 28 to the lower end of the outer shell I I.

In order'to provide for the generation of low pressure steam or hot water, 'I' have provided within the jacket in a plurality of superposed spaced apart hot water generating or heat exchanging members generally designated as 29. The generating members 29 are connected together by means of nipples 38a and a lower nipple at connects the lower generator 29 with a T- coupling 33 carried by a horizontal supply pipe 3 l. The pipe 3| has a T-coupling 33 connected thereto with the central branch of which the vertical pipe 351 is connected and an extension pipe 3Ia projects from coupling 33 and has a lower pressure relief valve 32 secured to the outer end thereof. Each generating member 29 includes lower and upper disc shaped plates 34 and 35 which are connected together at their outer edges by a connecting flange 36 thereby forming a steam generating chamber 31. The chamber 31 is relatively thin so that the water discharged into the chamber 31 will be turned into steam by substantially the flash process.

The lower plate 34 has formed integral therewith a boss 38 and the upper plate 35 has formed integral therewith a boss 39. An outlet pipe 40 is connected to the upper nipple 30b by means of a T-coupling 4| and the pipe 40 extends laterally through the jacket lil at the upper end of the latter and has a relief valve 42 connected therewith. Preferably the outer shell II is slotted as indicated at 53 so that the steam generating unit which comprises the series of generating members 29 secured to the pipe 3!) may be removed from the jacket as a unit by uncoupling the supply pipe 3| and the lower relief valve 32 with extension 31a and also outlet pipe it. The jacket It also has mounted therein a series of frustoconical shaped baffles 4 3 which are mounted one above each generator 29. The base of each baffle id has extending thereacross a pair of supporting bars 45 which are welded or otherwise fixedly an adjathe base heating gases passing over and about each gener ator and then being confined by the cone-shaped bafiies 44 so that the heating gases from a lower generator passing a lower bafiie will strike an upper generator adjacent the center thereof.-

The generators 29 are substantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the base of the baflles 44 so that the heated air may readily flow about the marginal edges of the generators 29. The heater as hereinbefore described has been designed as a low pressure steam generator for use in dairies or the like where steam or hot Water is desired for sterilizing the milk cans or other apparatus found in a dairy.

I claim:

1. An instantaneous heater comprising an insulated housing, a cap on the upper end of said housing. said housin having a slot in the upper end thereof and projecting below said cap, said housing also having an opening diametrically opposite from said slot, a lower supply pipe extending into said housing, an upper horizontal outlet pipe engaging in said slot and projecting from said opening, a plurality of vertically spaced apart disc-shaped hollow generators in said housing, nipples connecting said generators together and to said supply and outlet pipes, a frustoconical bafile on the upper side of each generator having the base thereof larger in diameter than the diameter of said generator, a pair of parallel supporting bars fixed at their opposite ends in the lower portion of each baffle and also fixed to the upper side of a generator, and a burner in said housing below the lowermost generator.

2. In a heater having an insulated housing with a plurality of vertically spaced apart disc shaped generators therein and nipples connecting the generators together; a frustro-conical baflle on the upper side of each generator, a pair of parallel bars fixed at the ends thereof to the base of said baffle having the base thereof larger in diameter than the diameter of said generator, and means fixedly securing said bars to said generator.

FRANK W. DE LUCHI.

REFERENCES 1 CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

